About Osho
About Osho
Osho, born Chandra Mohan Jain on December 11, 1931, in Kuchwada, India, was one of the most original and provocative mystics of the twentieth century. Known for much of his life as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later simply as Osho, he spoke to people seeking not another belief system, but a direct, lived experience of meditation, freedom, love, and inner silence.
From an early age, Osho was marked by an intense spirit of inquiry. He questioned conventions, religious dogma, social conditioning, and every idea that stood between an individual and their own truth. After studying philosophy and becoming a professor, he began traveling throughout India, giving talks that drew large audiences. His words were fearless, humorous, poetic, and often deliberately challenging. He did not ask people to follow him blindly; rather, he invited them to look within and discover awareness for themselves. His talks were originally in Hindi but later, in the 1970s, he began giving talks in English as well.
Osho’s philosophy is a blend of Eastern and Western thought. He emphasizes the importance of meditation, mindfulness, and self-awareness. He also teaches that each individual is responsible for their own happiness and enlightenment.
For those of us drawn to meditation, Osho’s greatest gift is his understanding that modern people need meditation methods suited to modern lives. He recognized that many of us carry stress and constant mental noise. Sitting silently can be beautiful, but it is not always easy, particularly for the Western mind. In response, he introduced active meditation techniques—such as Dynamic Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, Nadabrahma, and No-Dimensions—which use breath, movement, sound, release, and stillness to help clear the path towards inner quiet.
Osho’s vision was never one of renunciation or escape from the world. He spoke of the “new man” and “new woman”: people who can be deeply meditative while also fully alive, intelligent, playful, loving, creative, and engaged with life. He welcomed the body, celebration, music, laughter, friendship, and beauty as possible doors to the sacred. In his view, spirituality was not meant to make life smaller or more serious—it was meant to make us more conscious and available to its richness.
Yet for many meditators around the world, the lasting significance of Osho lies in the extraordinary depth and breadth of his teachings, recorded in thousands of talks on meditation, Zen, Buddhism, Sufism, Tantra, Christianity, psychology, and the art of living. This website contains all the existing texts of his talks given in English.
Osho left his body in Pune, India, on January 19, 1990. His meditation centers, books, and recordings continue to reach seekers across cultures and generations. His essential invitation remains as fresh as ever: do not live secondhand. Become aware. Celebrate life. Trust your own experience. And discover the silent, unchanging presence within yourself.